


Predator and Prey

by Iantheforlornwriter



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Detective, F/M, Gen, Homicide, Murder Mystery, Police, Police Procedural, Predator/Prey, Prejudice, Racism, Zootopia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iantheforlornwriter/pseuds/Iantheforlornwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake Wolfire, a wolf, and Fred Tigris, a tiger, are homicide detectives. A mysterious case of preys being murdered is their newly appointed case, only there is a catch. It's always done on a raining night where the evidence washes out before they can get there in time. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde assist them on the case as Patrol Officers. There is an underlying conspiracy about this, they can feel it. Chief Bogo is being consistently pressured by the press. He's afraid of another prey predator crisis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"We've got a new case." Fred Tigris informed his partner as he slammed the case file onto his desk. It alarmed Jake Wolfire, making him jerk up from his seat and avert his glance from the novel he was reading. He looked up, meeting the fierce but calm eyes of his Tiger friend. It was only a moment later when Jake realised Fred was holding out a file for him in his paw. 

"What is it?" He asked as he took the brown, brand new case file. 

Looking at the wolf before him, Fred opened it up in his partner’s paws and pointed to the location that was written at the bottom of the page. Only an address was written there, there was no evidence markers or witness to interrogate. The case file detailed the murder of one Peralta Watertail. It made him raise an eye as his muzzle started to open to ask his friend what was going on.

"There's nothing here." He said finally.

"Exactly. No witness, no evidence to look for. No nothing. The case has been cold and dead for the longest time. That's changing tonight. I ain't one to get excited over things but two patrol officers found a dead body at a diner right smack on Acorn Avenue." 

"Witnesses?" 

"Nada. Just the body and we've got to go now. It's raining and they're afraid the evidence will be washed out by the time we get there." 

Grabbing his jacket from the wooden chair he was seated on, Jake motioned for Fred to go and start the car. It was a rainy night, the streets would be dark and the roads would be wet and damp. Acorn Avenue was named after the acorn trees that littered the little tree haven and the park right across the street. It wasn't odd that something like this would happen on a night like this. It was especially gloomy in the station, Clawhauser wasn't making a ruckus either replaying Gazelle's new hit single. Something would always go wrong when the station was at its quietest. 

"Hey, Jake!" Jake's ears perked at the sound of his partner calling him from the station's doors. "Are we goin' or what?" 

\----

The diner was a small building with bright red neon lights that covered the front portion of the roof. In big, lighted colours, Denise's Diners welcomed almost everyone from Acorn Avenue. He could see that the inside of the diner was well lit and that a good number of people were eating away at their meal. The ones at the booth however, kept looking out to where the patrol car had parked. 

Jake didn't like how public the murder was. It was in the middle of a busy night it would seem, with cars zooming by and splashing puddles onto each unsuspecting passerby. As Fred and him got out the car, his partner pointed at the two officers trying to maintain a boundary by sticking yellow tape across the alleyway where the body was. 

"It's that bunny cop." He said. It was a cold night, what with the rain and the cooler temperature. Fred pulled his cloak closer to his chest. Jake did the same with his jacket. "And that fox of hers." 

"I've heard good things about them." Jake yelled over the howling wind that cut through the air like a sharp knife. The wolf's sensitive ears had to fold themselves inwards to avoid the pain that would ring in his ears if he hadn't done it sooner. 

"Yeah, well, let's hope they cut off the place good. I donwanna deal with the press hounding on our asses again." 

As they approached the yellow line, Officer Judy Hopps stepped below the line and let out a paw to shake. "Officer Judy Hopps sir, we were the first on the scene." She said, her bright blue eyes seemed to expect an answer. As such, Jake responded to her courteousness. 

"Detective Jake Wolfire, Homicide." He said as he let out a silver paw to shake hers. His fur was of a darker shade than hers, probably just one tint darker. It looked brighter tonight though as the spotlight of a Moon castes bright rays upon them. 

"Fred Tigris." The tiger said, nodding his head.

"Tell us what happened." Jake said as he pulled the yellow line up. He motioned for Fred to go under first, which he did.

"We noticed a commotion happening outside the diner and when Nick and I got out to check, we found the body with a dumpster toppled over. We didn't touch anything, we called the station straight away." She informed them as she showed them the crime scene. A red fox in the same patrol uniform waited for them there, his hands busy writing something on a notepad. His eyes raised when he saw the two homicide detectives. 

"Nick Wilde." He said as he shook Fred's hand. 

"What you've got for us?" Fred asked, taking out a notepad of his own.

"Found the guy's body like this. Looks like he was shot. Carrots, did the lady leave?" Nick asked jerking his head in the opposite direction. He was asking Judy. 

"After I threatened to take her to the station, she left as quickly as she came onto us." 

"What lady?" Fred asked, tapping the pencil he had taken out on the side of the notepad.

"Just a reporter, sir. Nobody important."

"Good. We don't want no press stopping us from doing our investigation." He replied her.

Crouching down on one knee, ignoring the rain that was pouring down on them and the fact that he was now knee deep in a puddle, Jake took a closer look at the body. It looked to be an Elk with two bullet wounds in his back and one in his head. 

"Do we know who the John Doe is?" Jake asked as he stood up. He tapped Fred's shoulder to give him a look of his notepad. He noticed he covered it with a thin sheet of plastic to prevent it from getting wet from the rain. On it he wrote: _Rain washing away all evidence_.

"It's a Paul Woodentop. Hopps here has his wallet." Fred informed Jake as he nodded his head towards the rabbit officer. 

"It was in the dumpster. No other evidence to report, sir." She handed him the old, worn out looking wallet.

Opening it, Jake was shocked to find his wallet completely intact. His driver's license wasn't taken; no money seemed to be missing as a thief wouldn't leave a hundred dollars without taking it. A picture of a deer and two smaller fawns were in his side pocket. "This his family?" Fred asked him.

"It would appear so." He replied. "If you don't mind, Hopps, we'd prefer if we had a look around ourselves. Could you and Wilde secure the area? Make sure no reporters get through." Jake directed them.

"Yes, sir. We're on our way. C'mon Nick." She said urgently, pushing at his legs. 

"Relax, carrots. We're going." 

"Anything out of the ordinary to you?" Jake asked Fred right when the two officers left the scene. 

"Yeah, the perp wasn't in it for the money. He would've taken the money. Something ain't right here." 

"Let's take a look in the dumpster. There's no point looking for prints on the ground, the rain is washing them all away." He said as he pointed upward towards the falling rain drops soaking his fur. 

Looking into the dumpster, all they could see was trash and there was loads of it. 

"Hey, Jake, over here! I found something." Fred called his partner with utmost urgency. Pushing the green, rusty dumpster aside, a silver revolver was stuffed behind it. Reaching his right arm inside the gap he had produced, Fred pulled out the weapon with a grin on his muzzle. "I still got it." 

"Let's take all these back to the station. The coroner will get him in by then and we can go over the evidence together. And I'm sick of getting wet."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Fred visit the coroner in the morgue for an autopsy of the Elk.

The station was busier than usual tonight. Clawhauser was answering calls left and right; Judy and Nick had returned from maintaining the scene back at the diner and are now busily reporting to Chief Bogo. As for Jake and Fred however, all they could do was wait as patiently as they could for the coroner to finish her autopsy on the Elk they he found earlier. 

"I don't get it," Fred started to say as they got into the building, his hand heavily pushing the glass doors letting some of the rain blow in with the help of the loud, howling wind. "This guy was shot execution style. The only way that'll happen is if the victim was expecting the perp or something." 

Jake placed a claw on his chin, thinking. What Fred was saying made sense of course, could it be nothing more than of a crime of passion. Perhaps the victim and the murderer were caught in a deadlock argument, and it drove the murderer to shoot his friend. But there was a strict rule about owning guns in Zootopia, and the only way he'd be able to own one was if he was a cop himself, or if he was in the military. He didn't know which was worse, the lack of security in their little haven of a city that enabled a civilian to easily obtain a weapon, or a man in uniform committing murder. 

"We'd better get the details from Hawkes soon. The sooner we get the details and the sooner we interrogate this man's family, the faster we'll catch this asshole." Jake nodded as he spoke. 

"Up for a cuppa, Wolfire? Lion Christ knows we're not sleeping tonight." Fred yawned, stretching his body by placing his two paws on his lower back. The crack that was produced from that particular action made Jake cringe and his ears perk. 

"Get the coffee, I'll meet you in the break room."

\----

"Got a call from Hawkes, Wolfire. She's calling us into the morgue." Fred said, popping his head into the break room after finishing his third round around the station. On nights like this, when the case they were working on stumped them to no end; when they had to pull an all nighter, staying in the station for the remainder of the night, Fred loved getting up from the tiny stools of the tiny break room they had there, and walk a few rounds. He claimed it got his blood pumping; made his head clearer. 

"Let's go." Jake replied almost instantaneously, jumping up from his seat. Grabbing the case file from the white table, and taking one last gulp of the strong, black liquid Fred had gotten them only an hour ago, he made his way to the door, where Fred was already waiting at.

"Did she say anything when she called you?" He asked his partner as they made their way across the station and up the stairs.

"Nada, just that she's just as stumped as we are. Unless we find more evidence, we ain't gonna solve this case." Fred replied monotonously. 

"We'll find it. We always do, Tigris." He tried comforting unsuccessfully. 

"When ya start trying to comfort people, Wolfire, it's when the situation is at its most dire. Let's hope it's different this time." 

Reaching the morgue and the far end of the corridor, the insides was an assault on the two predators' senses. The smell of the corpse laid out on the metal table was horrid. It was starting to rot, and Hawkes, yet again, refused to spray some NeutraScent. She claimed it helped her work when she could smell. It drove the both of them mad.

"Lion Christ, Doctor. The smell in here is horrible." Fred said, pinching his nose closed. "Kill ya to spray some NeutraScent?" 

"That would be detrimental to my work, Detectives." Sarah Hawkes, the Bald Eagle coroner, replied in her usual scientific tone. Monotonous and all business. 

"We know." Jake sighed, trying to ignore the smell. "What you've got for us?" 

"Nothing much, unfortunately. I can tell you how this poor man died however, and unless you find me something else to work on besides just the gun and the wound, I won't be able to lead you on to much." She said matter-of-factly. She ushered them closer, beckoning them with her two sharp talons. 

"See these two wounds on the back? There's hardly a gap between them. The perpetrator had to have fire his gun in quick succession one after another. This one on the left here," She pointed at the leftmost wound, a small red hole. Hawkes had already cleaned it out, or else Jake would've been able to smell his insides with his heightened sense of smell. The perks that came with being a wolf. It drove him crazy. "Was the first, I believe. Than he fired again causing this second wound." She pointed at the one right next to it. 

"Poor bastard." Fred exclaimed, his eyes entirely focused on the wounds. "What about the one in his head?" He asked.

"That's a good question, Detective. It would appear that the wound inflicted on his head is not of a gun. Or specifically, the revolver you found at the crime scene." She drew their attention by circling the wound in his head in the air. "As you can see, the hole in his head is bigger and wider. The circumference simply does not match those of the bullet wounds in his back." 

"What are you trying to say, Doctor?" Jake asked, perplexed now. 

"I believe your victim was impaled with a pipe. One that could cause this wide of a wound. Also, your perpetrator has to be strong, I'd say a predator or a very strong prey." 

"Doc, you sold yourself short. This is more than enough information to go by." Fred praised as he slapped her on the back. 

"Yes, but more would be better. More helpful. I'm afraid this is all I can do given the circumstances." 

"Then we’ll take you word for it, Doctor. Thanks for the help." 

"My pleasure."

\----

"So, what now?" Fred asked as he jotted down what the Doctor had said into his trusty notebook. He added two new lines: _Perp has to be physically strong_, and _Wound in head and wound in back inconsistent_. 

"We check the gun out in the evidence room. If we're lucky enough, the serial number will be on its side like any revolver would have, and we can contact the manufacturer for the perps' details."

"Good idea. Lead the way, Wolfire."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Fred are stumped when they discover the murderer has covered all of his tracks. At least, that's what they thought.

Fred remembered the time when he was seven. As a cub, he'd always dreamed of being a patrol officer; of being someone who was respected and regarded as someone you could trust. It wasn't a well kept secret that he had a terrible childhood. His life was filled with nothing but abusive beatings from his drunkard of a father; his siblings thinking he was useless and abandoning him when they ran away from home; or the fact that his mother was too much of a coward to fight back and stand up for herself. This was what drove him to be the man he was today. He realised now, standing in the evidence room as Jake collected the revolver, there was no such thing as a black and white world. The world was a giant grey area and nothing was going to change that. Not even a similarly coloured Rabbit who fought so much for equal predator-prey rights. 

"The serial number is sawed off!" Jake exclaimed, cussing as he did. He sighed and handed the revolver in the thin, transparent plastic bag that the evidence chief had insisted it be in to Fred, who seemed to have awaken from a daze.

"Nothing at all?" He asked, surprised. Most of the unsubs they caught were either dumber than a bag of nails or genius masterminds. The person who committed the murder last night had to be one of the latter. 

"Damn guy must've planned every murder down to the every fine detail." Jake was busy rotating the bag around now, trying to catch any other hints of the perpetrator. He always swore on one thing: people always messed up, no matter how hard, how fastidious they may be, they always do. He wasn't so sure of this guy was one of them.

"Check the barrel, see if it's custom made." Fred suggested, pointing at the long cylindrical front.

"No, it looks like a factory model to me." Rotating it further, Jake cussed loudly causing the other officers in the room to make a glance at him. "Damn it, he sawed off the company logo too. I have nothing to go on." 

"Let's grab another cuppa. We're not sleeping again." 

\----

Jake liked the way coffee tasted. He savoured every bitter, aromatic sip down to the very last drop. On days when he and Fred had to mull over a case together, the coffee was an added bonus; an extra incentive to keep him going through the night. However, as he sat in the break room now, the bag keeping the revolver safe from any foreign prints in his paws, Jake wasn't enjoying his cup of joe at all. 

Each bitter sip was likened to another bitter defeat in his mind. He realised Fred was daydreaming quite frequently too, suddenly going into lapse of times when he's zone out and forget everything he said. He checked the date on his wristwatch, hoping it wasn't an important one to his partner. Only then did he realise it was the twenty-fifth of April; the day his mother committed suicide. The traumatic scene must've been playing on repeat in his head. 

"Hey, Fred?" He said, shaking the daydreaming tiger from his daze. 

"Yeah, what? Sorry." He replied Jake with a rubbing of his eyes.

"Why don't you take a nap? We're gonna be here a while anyway."

"Nah, it's alright. An extra set of eyes never hurt." 

"That is unless they're a set of sleepy ones. Don't worry about it, I've got this."

"Alright, just a cat nap. Hah!" Fred said laughing, his grin showing his sharp fangs. "Ah, racial jokes never get old." 

"Don't let the bunny cop hear that one." Jake said, shaking his head.

"Don't let me hear, what?" A feminine voice greeted them. His eyes darted to the door, where a defiant looking rabbit was staring at them. 

"Just some racial joke, Hopps. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Fred replied voraciously. Lying down on the couch, he propped his two feet on the edge of the sofa where the arm rest was.

"That's what caused the initial predator-prey crisis a year ago in the first place." She wasn't backing down.

"Relax, carrots. Just some stress relieving humour." The red fox beside her said, giving her a wink. 

"That caused our falling out too." She said with a smirk, half-joking, half-serious. Nick gave her a confusing look, playing it up sarcastically by putting his two paws up. 

"Did we ever fall out, bunny? I thought is was what we called a hustle?" He continued.

"Oh please, we all know it wasn't. You were actually saddened by it." 

"Okay, no racial slurs then. You've got us." Jake said raising his paws up, tired of listening to he rant. "Listen," he started to say, grabbing the bag from the table and tossing it over to Judy. She caught it in midair, although it did fumble in her paws a little when she almost dropped it. "We're kinda stumped. Any insight would help." 

"We're not homicide detectives," Nick said. He looked over at Fred who was now relaxing with a magazine in his paws. "Detective." He finished.

"It doesn't matter. Patrol Officers walk the streets. You might notice something I don't." Jake replied.

"Wait," Judy said eagerly. "This handle, it looks like it's made from the same type of material Nick and I busted back a few months ago." 

The sly fox bent down to where she was standing with the bag. He took it in his and rotated the bag around, careful enough not to accidentally tear it open with his claws. 

"Good catch." He nodded, confirming his partner's assumption.

"You've seen it before?" Fred asked from across the room.

"Yeah, we tried to arrest this guy who was outsourcing this illegal sort of metal to warehouses around Deer Valley, but he got away before we could." 

"Can you take us to one of this warehouses, Judy?" Jake asked, excitement apparent in the way he was wagging his tail. 

"It should still be there. The owner started operating it again, but we can't just walk in there. We don't have a warrant and frankly, he knows us by now." Nick added.

"But he ain't bright is he now?" Fred got up from the couch and made his way over to the table. "If he started doing what almost got him caught in the first place when he knows two stubborn cops who can identify him." 

"Exactly. He doesn't know us. We'll get the warrant, Wilde. Just get us there." Jake acknowledged. "I'll go speak to Xander right now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The detectives, Judy and Nick raid the warehouse where the metal is being manufactured at.

Jake didn’t like this one bit. The warehouse was a run down one, that was for sure. Brown patches of rust trickled down the metal surface like spiralling spores sprayed onto it carelessly. Fred was on the other side of the building with Hopps, slowly drawing his claw up and placing it on his snout signalling them to be quiet. He pointed at the entrance and shook his head. Jake knew what his partner meant; it was a sign he always used when they were on cases like this. He was telling the wolf that the entrance wasn’t a feasible course of action. 

Fred jerked his head to the far side of the warehouse, to where the back entrance was. He was telling them to go around the sides and enter from the back. Nick, who was crouching next to Jake, nodded his head and jerked his head upwards to Judy. She knew what that meant. It was their own secret code. It was him telling her to watch her back. With all the fighting and arguments they had, she never expected anyone else but him to care about her the way he did. Perhaps, that was the reason why they worked so well.

“Let’s go. Keep low, and keep your voices down.” Jake commanded of Nick as they started to move towards the side of the warehouse from the crates they were hiding behind. A damp smell emanated from the wooden boxes stacked in front of them. If they weren’t guilty of smuggling illegal metals, then they were surely guilty of poor hygiene. 

——

Fred liked Judy. He liked the way she talked; he loved how gung ho she was, and most importantly, she was a good cop. As they moved from the rusty, metal containers to the side of the warehouse, he had to ask her the question that was stewing in his mind.

“So, you and the fox,” He started to say as they hid behind a couple of dilapidated crates thrown out from the warehouse. “You together or something?” He asked nonchalantly, his paw hovering above the pistol stowed away in the front pocket of his coat. He was expecting trouble. 

“No, of course not.” She replied defensively. Her eyes darted to two wolves loading up crates with something she couldn’t make out. “Two wolves at the back.” She was thankful for a distraction to direct their conversation elsewhere. If news were to get out about her dating Nick; of a rabbit and a fox being together? It wouldn’t only make the whole world erupt in a frenzy of reporters and questions, but it wouldn’t reflect well on her either. Fraternisation wasn’t something Chief Bogo took lightly, and for it to be an interspecies prey-predator one? She had enough on her plate, she didn’t need this to pile up onto it.

“I see em’. Alright,” He began to say. “You take the one on the right. See the one over there with the cigarette in his snout?” He pointed at a slightly older and muscular wolf. Black fur covered his entire body but only the tuff of fur from his neck and his arms could be seen as he was wearing a thin polo t-shirt that accentuated his muscles. The one beside him was just as muscular, but he was wearing a long sleeved cardigan instead. 

“It’s like they can’t decide if it’s winter or summer.” Judy said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, that always pisses me off. Alright, ready?” 

“Ready.”

——

Jake and Nick didn’t have to do much. By the time they rounded the corner and reached the back, the two wolves were already down on the ground, handcuffed, and silenced by Fred. Judy gave her fox a sly smile, and winked at him. 

“How did you even manage this?” Wilde asked with genuine shock. 

“He did most of the work.” She pointed a thumb at the tiger who was now fishing around in the crate they were loading up only minutes earlier.

“What’s in there, Tigris?” Jake asked his partner.

“Some sort of pipe made with the same material used for the grip of the revolver.” Fred said as he took one out of the crate and produced it to the wolf.

“Feels like it.” Jake ran his paw over the smooth, shiny surface of the pipe, looking through the circumference of the hole with his right eye. “Looks about the width of the wound in Woodentop’s head.”

“This is it, then. For sure.” Wilde piped in, nodding his head.

“Luckily for us, we have a warrant.” Judy added.

“We do this together. Make sure we get the boss if he’s in there.” Fred agreed.

——

Randy Ursa wasn’t supposed to be here today. The big, brown bear sighed as he ordered the horse who walked into the room to clear the next stack of crates for shipping. He was supposed to be home today, hiding out just in case that resilient bunny and fox cop decided to bust in unannounced. It made matters worse that he had to talk to his new client who was rather feisty.

“Look, uh…” Randy had to read his name off the clipboard. “Stripes.” He said finally. “The shipment won’t come in till’ you pay the bills. If I ain’t making myself clear, then maybe we should discuss this some other time.” 

“No.” A deep, husky voiced replied. Randy imagined he wouldn’t want to get on his nerves. “The payment has been made. Just get it to me before I have to leave town.” 

“Now we’re talking.” He said with a grin, his fangs showing. 

A loud clanking sound interrupted his phone call, making him jerk his head to the window of his office. “I gotta go.” Hanging up the phone, Randy made his way to the windows that overlooked the whole factory. They were back, and this time with two other cops he didn’t recognised. 

——

“Police! Get down, hands in the air!” Fred yelled but it was for nought. A freakishly buffed up boar decided it was best to rush at an armed detective. He would’ve regretted it only minutes later. He was the first to react, of course. Fred always was when they got into a fight. If growing up in an abusive home with useless parents and having to know the streets inside and out wasn’t beneficiary, then at least he learned how to be tough. He didn’t know how that would reflect on him though if he ever tried to find someone. Not like there were many guys that would ever want to be with a cop anyway. 

Reaching out with a clawed paw, Fred sliced at the boar who tried to ram him, producing a loud, guttural sound. Crashing onto the ground with blood trailing from the puncture wounds in his chest, the boar passed out before he could even get up. 

A lion tried to land a punch on Wilde, but Jake easily tripped him with a sideswipe, making him land onto the ground with a loud thud. Socking him in the side of his face, the lion wasn’t getting up anytime soon. 

“Freeze!” Jake yelled, producing his gun from his holster. He pointed it at the remaining workers, all with looks of defiance in their eyes. He would’ve gotten it out earlier and ordered everyone to get down, but the boar and the lion prevented that. He had Fred to thank for that, as he always did. 

“Look, we don’t want no trouble.” A young looking hyena said from the back of the room. “It’s cool.” He got down on his knees, putting his paws onto the back of his head. The rest of the workers followed suit, getting down on their knees and putting their paws onto their head.

“Hopps, Wilde, cuff em’.” Fred ordered as he holstered his gun. He motioned to the office with a quick flick upwards of his head. “Boss is probably in the office.” 

“Come with me. Hopps, Wilde, keep them in line.”

“Got it.” Judy replied, cuffing a skunk to the work table. 

Making their way up the rusty staircase, the two detectives piled up on the door, one on either sides. Unholstering their pistols, Jake signalled for Fred to open the door. Entering with both guns pointing at nothing but air, both predators shouted out the usual warnings. Nobody was to be found.

“Where the hell is he?” Fred cussed, pointing the gun aimlessly at the walls. “I ain’t that old. I heard him scuffling around in here.”

“I did too. Biology doesn’t lie, Fred. Keep looking.” The precaution was for nought. With a forceful swing of a metal pipe, Fred was down, reeling in pain and shouting obscenities like there was no tomorrow. 

Randy was out the window and onto the metal platform in a heartbeat. 

“Get him! I’m fine!” 

Wasting no time at all, Jake darted for the window, jumping out with a fluid motion that even Judy would be jealous of. Landing perfectly onto the metal platform, Randy was only a little ways away from the office, making his way down the stairs and to the back entrance which they came in from.

“Police, stop!” Wilde shouted, trying to tackle him to the ground. Randy was faster than him, easily sidestepping him and avoiding capture. Hopps was quicker, however, and smashed the side of his face with a powerful kick, making him stumble and fall to the round. As the eventful conflict ended, Jake had just jumped down the last step and was already on him. He recited the Miranda Rights to him, cuffing him ungently. 

“Good work, Hopps. Might make a fine detective one day.” He praised, nodding at her. It made her fur prickle in delight. 

They had caught their man. The case would be solved before they knew it. Fishing around in the front pocket of the bear’s jeans, Jake managed to find his wallet. Opening it, he read out his driver’s licence.

“Randy Ursa?” He named the criminal in custody. “You’re under arrest.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fred and Jake interrogate Randy.

"Clawhauser!" Fred yelled out as they got back to the station. "Set this guy up in room 2, keep an eye on him." He ordered the obese cheetah gushing over the new Gazelle video. He hated that song. Randy didn't argue, he knew when he was caught. Running away now would've been idiotic at best.

"Right sir, right away sir." He said jovially as he squeezed through the narrow entrance of the counter. "Interrogation Room 2, straightaway." 

"He grows on you." Nick sighed, shaking his head at the way Clawhauser acted.

"Anymore and he'll explode." Fred said jokingly. He was elbowed in the ribs by Jake, giving him a stare of disapproval. It practically oozed out of him.

"Alright, alright. Just a joke, Wolfire." Fred laughed, raising his two paws above his head in mock surrender.

"Thanks, you two. That was good work out there." Jake let out a paw. Judy shook it enthusiastically; Wilde, in his usual sarcastic manner, shook it only after a brief pause. 

"Glad to be of help, sir." The rabbit said, grinning. 

"Let's have a talk with Randy." Fred nodded. 

\----

Jake was a terrifying force of nature when it came to interrogation. Of all the times Fred had successfully arrested the many murderers in Zootopia, it was Jake who actually sat down with them, got into their head, and got them to spill everything out. And he did it all without ever resorting to violence. He was a smooth talker and a master at manipulating perpetrators to get the information he wanted. Fred was only glad that he was on their side and not the opposite side of the spectrum. 

"You be the bad cop." The wolf said to his tiger friend as they walked past the conference room and to the interrogation rooms lined up door to door. 

"Ain't I always the bad cop?" Fred replied, shaking his head. Jake always reminded him before every and any interrogation. He was always like that, completely and utterly thorough. Sometimes, it got on his nerves. 

"Just, let me handle the talking."

"You always do, Wolfire. Go get him." 

Reaching the furthest, wooden door on the right, Jake pawed at the handle, hesitating before opening it. It wasn't a well kept secret that the officer who was in charge of reprinting the numbers on the glass panels miscounted the amount of doors there were on this corridor. Numbers one, three and four came first and then number two on the right. Chief Bogo made sure he never forgot it. 

"Something, wrong?" His concerned partner asked him. A perturbed expression was plastered on the feline's face. 

"No, I don't think so. Let's go talk to him. Find out what he knows." 

\----

It was a dingy little room with hardly any leg space. A blanket of dust covered the metal table which Randy rested his paws on. The chair he was sitting on wasn't that of superior quality either, sporting a ripped out cushion and a broken backrest. 

Jake liked this room. That's most probably why Fred told Clawhauser to set up this room instead of the other three which were of better condition. He liked how this room didn't have a two way mirror. It was just the interrogator and the interrogated in this room. No second opinion. Nobody was looking over them in a hidden room with cameras eyeing their every move; their every question. The secluded environment also did wonders for their work. 

"Randy Ursa." Jake greeted the guilty as they entered the room. "Do you know why you're here?" He finished.

"I ain't talking until I get a lawyer. You read me those rights. I know what I'm entitled to and ain't." The oversight, brown bear spat.

"Don't think that's a good idea, Randy. Unless you want my friend over here to take over." Jake motioned to the tiger with his claw. 

"I don't play nice." Fred replied, deadpanned.

"You can't do anything to me. There ain't-" Randy couldn't finish his train of thought. Fred had slammed his paws down onto the table, producing a loud metal banging sound that echoed throughout the small, cramped and empty room. Little specks of dust exploded into the air from the table like ashes from an erupting volcano, irritating all three animals' noses. 

"Talk!" Fred shouted, his deep, husky voice shocking even Jake, making him jerk up in his seat. 

"Alright, alright! Look, I ain't done anything wrong!" Randy tried protesting.

"Then what's this?" Jake unlocked his smartphone and slid it across the table to Randy. It was a picture of the pipes in the crate and the handle of the revolver; neatly photoshopped next to one another.

"Look, I just smuggle the stuff in the crates. We've been doin' it a long time but I ain't know nothing about who-" Jake interrupted him again.

"Did you know one of the very same pipes ended up in Paul Woodentop's head?" Jake spat back, swiping to the left of his screen, revealing a extremely gruesome picture of the gaping hole left in the elk's head.

Randy's eyes widened in shock.

"Hey, man, I didn't do nothing like this! You've gotta believe me!" He pleaded, his voice growing more and more urgent by the second.

"You know nothing bout’ this?" Fred chipped in, softening his expression for just the duration of the question.

"I just smuggle the crates! I've been doing that for years. The bunny cop and the fox, they caught me once but I got out on parole. I ain't no murderer!"

"Who do you smuggle the crates for, Randy?" Jake asked, completely perplexed by how honest the bear sounded.

"A Mr. Stripes. That's all I know."

"That's *not* good enough." Fred slammed the table again.

"Lion Christ that's all I know!"

"Not even a first name?"

"He was very discreet. Didn't want nobody to know his full name."

They had a long night ahead of them. Fred was already thinking of coffee.

\----

"So whaddya think?" Fred asked as they exited the room, leaving a frightened brown lump cowering inside. 

"He didn't do it, Tigris. I could hear it in his voice. He isn't the one." Jake sighed, rubbing his head.

"How dya know?"

"Call it a gut feeling. A guilty man is either completely silent or over talkative. He's either a stone cold murderer or-"

"Or he's just a pawn in a bigger man's game." Fred finished his sentence for him.

"And that man is a Mr. Stripes."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief Bogo faces the press and makes a startling decision.

Chief Bogo wasn't exactly thrilled by the prospect of having to face the press so early in the morning. The Bull always hated this part of his job; the way he had to divert sensitive issues; answer questions; being hounded by reporters and journalists who he believed never should've gotten the job if all they wanted to do was spout nonsense. 

He realised, then, after mulling over a cup of coffee that Clawhauser had made for him, he'd rather someone else do his job for him. But he didn't entertain the thought. He remembered the last time he allowed someone else to handle the talking, and it resulted in a humongous, outplayed and overplayed prejudice between predator and prey. He didn't want to deal with another hassle like that again and this case was leading up to it, he just knew it. He had to nip it in the bud. As quickly as he could. 

"Chief, they're ready for you." A fat cheetah chimed as he came into the room, clipboard in his meaty paws. Clawhauser looked exhausted and that was an understatement. He'd been running up and down, herding the press. It was only minutes ago that he ushered them all into the main hall and set up the podium. 

"Tell them I'll be out in a minute." Bogo replied, taking the last sip of his insanely dark coffee.

\----

"Sir, Julie Woolace from the Bleater Monthly. Is it true that the victims have been mainly preys?" A bouncy sheep asked, the fur on her head bobbing up and down as she hopped in spot, raising her paw in the air. 

"That is true." The chief replied, sighing as he shuffled the papers on the podium and moving the glass of water Clawhauser had placed there for him, annoyed. He knew the questions were coming.

"And is it true that the two detectives in charge of this case are predators?" She continued, jotting down something on her phone. Bogo could tell it was probably notes. It was beyond him how reporters could type that fast.

"That is irrelevant." Bogo said hastily, hating the way his voice erupted from his throat like a terrified screech. 

"It is when the case mainly deals with preys being the victims again." She said defiantly. Her tongue emerged from her mouth, lapping on the sides of her mouth. She was thinking of something and Bogo knew he'd hate what she'd say next. 

"Is this a repeat of Bellwether's scandal? Can we expect something just as dividing again?" She didn't waste any time at all. 

The murmurs from the crowd was deafening. The Bull cringed as they began whispering to one another and to add salt to the wound, they began typing furiously on their phones. 

The crowd went silent as Bogo finally decided to speak out.

"The detectives in charge of this case have had nothing but success ever since they were paired together. Rest assured, we have our best on this case -regardless of species." 

"Sir, George Wellington." A bull introduced himself, the pin on his overcoat denoted that he was from Channel 5 news. "Is it possible that the once thought of symmetrical relationship of predator and prey has now regressed to that of fear? It's only been two years since Officer Hopps-" 

"If I may interrupt," Bogo interjected, raising a paw. "The events that lead to the unforeseen prejudice that plagued Zootopia still weighs heavily on the minds of everyone in this precinct. We have taken the utmost care in ensuring what happened will never happen again. As such, we have a suspect in custody-" 

Paws forced their way up into the air. Questions soon followed. Bogo couldn't distinguish one voice from another.

\-----

"I don't understand. You've always taught us to be true in what we do. You spout things about justice and being better than the petty criminal. What you're suggesting -it's wrong." Jake Wolfire said, slamming his paws onto Chief Bogo's desk a little bit louder than he had wanted to.

He couldn't help himself. What the chief was suggesting should've never even crossed his minds and for him to actually consider doing it? He felt betrayed as a detective. He felt guilty for holding his badge proudly as he always did. Now, he felt guilty and it wasn't a feeling he liked. 

Fred, normally the one to be boisterous and rough, sat silently beside him. His ears folded when Jake slammed the desk and he didn't blame him for being angry either. It was wrong of Bogo to think of such a drastic, inhumane thing. But, there was a part of him that understood the reason why he wanted to do what he was planning on doing as well. So he waited patiently but, at the same time, somewhat impatiently. His leg was shaking. His tail bristled and hanging low. 

"It's the only way we can avoid another scandal. I don't want to see Zootopia become what it was two years ago before Hopps and Wilde fixed it." The Bull replied the currently seething wolf, getting up from his desk and ripping a piece of paper from his clipboard. Throwing it into the trash can, Bogo let out a much needed sigh. It was as though everything he had said earlier was wiped clean. Out of sight, out of mind, Bogo always believed.

"By convicting someone who has nothing to do with this? It was just smuggling, Chief. He didn't kill anyone." Jake said, trying to maintain his composure. He certain he'd snap anytime soon. 

"The press needs someone to blame. The *people* need someone to blame." 

"Ursa didn't kill anyone. We're right on this bastard's tail. Just give us another week and I'm sure Fred and I-"  
Bogo's booming voice stopped him from continuing any further.

"And by another week, there could be riots on the streets, prejudice swelling up to uncontrollable proportions."

"So that's just it? We give the life sentence to a petty thief, a smuggler, and let a serial killer walk off untouched?" Jake's fangs were showing.

"We continue the investigation but we have our scapegoat." 

"Sir, I can't-"

"It's either you back down or you give me your badge." 

"Chief. You ain't saying what I think you're saying." Fred jerked up in his sit, his eyes filled with worry. 

"So you're shutting anyone else down?" Jake asked, sarcastically.

"I am still your superior officer. It's either you stop this barking of yours or I'll have to ask you to resign."

Fred eyed his partner and best friend. He could see the hurt in his eyes; the way the fur next to his eyes were starting to turn brown, staining from the tears he was fighting to keep down.

Without a word, Jake removed the badge hanging from his belt and his pistol, and placed them onto the desk with a loud thud. With only a mere glance at the tiger, Jake walked out, the sense of hurry apparent in the way he moved. One of urgency.

Fred stared at the door as it was slammed close.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy presents Fred with an alternative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long since I've updated this story! I've been extremely busy with exams, and have not been able to cope with studies and writing. For that I offer my deepest apologies to those who followed, subscribed and commented on this story.
> 
> I'm hoping to rectify this now! Before the big exam by the end of the year, my hope is finish this story I'm more than invested in. To those of you who still read this or are still interested: Thank you so much for your support!

He couldn't believe he was doing this. All his life, he had fought for his own freedom of speech, for always doing the right thing. It angered him exponentially whenever someone was wrongly accused. When someone didn't have the opportunity to defend himself just like how he couldn't defend himself in the past with his horribly abusive father and neglectful mother. 

And now, the same thing was happening to Randy Ursa, a guilty fur, there was no doubt about it, but he was innocent of this and Fred felt in ever fibre of his being and with every angry twitch of his striped black-and-orange tail, that Chief Bogo was completely going about this the wrong way. The worst thing about it however, was seeing his best friend and partner being dismissed for the very reason he became a detective in the first place.

It made him sick to think about it.

The tiger closed his eyes shut, forcefully inhaling air into his nostrils, hoping it would calm his nerves. It didn't. It only made him vexed and enraged to think he was capable of this. Of making a false statement on an official report. The pen snapped in his paws.

"Fred?" He snapped out of his irritated dazed as a feminine voice called out to him. 

Judy Hopps stood silently next to the much larger figure. Her big blue eyes trying to discern the cause of the predator's snappy mood. He had already snapped at Clawhauser twice. 

"Judy." He murmured irascibly. 

“I don't like it either." She said quietly. The manner in which she mentioned about the case so clandestinely made Fred even angrier at the bull. 

"I can't lose this job. I ain't got anyone else to go back to like Jake does." Fred confessed, dishearteningly. 

"Come with me." She said, eying the break room they had talk in only days before. "I need to show you something. Bring the forms along." 

\-----

"I ain't gonna lie, Hopps. This is impressive." The tiger nodded, caressing the bottom of his muzzle with a claw. The evidence was irrefutable. The bunny cop was on to something, and Fred was more more Han determined to help her see it through. If not for Jake, than for himself. 

"So you agree with me then?" Judy asked, pointing at a makeshift board made out of a large picture frame with various papers pinned onto the thin wood. "Everyone we have in custody are predators. From Randy Ursa, to the Lion we arrested for homicide of a prey, to a leopard causing ’civil unrest’," Judy abbreviated with her two tiny paws; "and even to the fox making noise over at he precinct about preys being inferior." She nodded. "They've all been predators."

"It's like someone is trying to pin all of this crimes to solely predators. We have an ulterior motive." Fred agreed.

"Yes, we just don't know who it is. The most likely is already in a maximum security jail."

"You talking about Bellweather?" 

"Yes. So it can't be her." 

"What did I miss?" They turned around to see Nick standing by the door. "Y’know, you ought to close the binders if you're trying to be sneaky." He smiled slyly as he released the string holding the plastic binders, letting them fall in place over the windows, concealing them. 

"Nick," Judy began to speak, ignoring the fox's comments. Fred assumed she was more than used to it by now, being partners for so long. "We think we're on to something." 

"Not we." The tiger said. He pointed to Judy who beamed as he said his next sentence. "It was all her work. Would make a fine ass detective one day, believe me." 

"Fine ass?" Nick reiterated, a smirk forming on his muzzle.

"Nick." The bunny was not entertained. 

"Right, okay, so is this what you were talking about last night?" Nick asked casually as he walked to the not-frame-but-information-board. 

"Yes, we were saying it couldn't be Bellweather because she's in jail." 

Nick stood still for a moment, contemplating and processing the information. Not long after, he shook his head. "Why couldn't it be?"

"You've got another opinion?" Fred asked, albeit a little impatiently. It made him sound hesitant.

"As a matter of fact, I do. We know how conniving the sheep is. Why couldn't she be pulling the strings behind the scenes. That's what she did with Lionhearted. She could be doing it again now." 

"And it's the perfect time to do it!" Judy exclaimed, clasping her paws together. "It's almost the anniversary of the predator-prey crisis. It's the perfect time to remind everyone about it. It could stir up unrest, it could-" 

Fred finished her train of thought for her. "It could get her out of jail if people demanded it and she could get back at all the predators. Great job, Hopps." He nodded. 

"The only thing now is," Nick started to say, moving up to his partner. "What do we do with this information? We're basing this out of nothing." 

"I agree. There is no evidence that Bellweather is pulling everyone's strings. It'll be a false accusation. Chief Bogo ain't gonna do anything about it." The tiger sighed, his paws clenching and unclenching in frustrations.

"Fred, when do you have to hand in the form convicting Ursa?" Judy asked as quick as lightning. 

"By tomorrow morning. They're giving me time to 'mull' over it." Fred said sarcastically. He played with the thin piece of paper in his right paw. His claws slowly stroking the edges, careful not to get paper cut but hard enough to feel it on his skin. He felt nothing but contempt for his boss at this very moment. He also felt nothing but sympathy for his closest friend. His only friend. He couldn't let Jake down. 

"Then we still have time. Nick, get the car." 

Nick performed a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am." 

"What are we-" Fred started to ask, but was immediately interrupted by the now highly energetic bunny. 

"We're going to pay Bellweather a visit."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A startling revelation is made.

"Are we sure about this, bunny?" Nick asked, apprehensively. 

He remembered what Bellweather did to them two years ago. It almost tore them apart, and they've been working strenuously to keep their jobs and maintain a semblance of a professional relationship. He knew they didn't most of the time. He couldn't help teasing her whenever he had the chance. It always made his day. And now, with the two of them making the discussion to move in together, he was nothing more but terrified about the prospects of losing her in the line of duty. 

The worried fox tightened his paws on the steering wheel, shifting in his seat and sitting up. Judy was writing something down on her notepad with the carrot pen. He smiled to himself. He liked how she still kept it.

"I'm sure. Bellweather makes you think she's all innocent and bubbly and fluffy but she's-" Fred growled an interruption.

"A conniving witch." 

"I wouldn't have put it so blunt -but yes. Succinctly put, detective." She nodded into the rear view mirror.

"Do we have a plan, or are we just hoping for that she'd just tell us everything? Best case scenario: she has a heart attack. Worst case scenario: we have a heart attack." Nick said, shaking his head. Slowing the car down to a crawl to stop at before the traffic light turned red, he looked beside him. Judy had her reassuring eyes. 

"Don't worry about it. It's a hustle, honey." She said, winking. He smiled again. 

Fred raised an eye to that remark. Ignoring their suddenly close proximity, his eyes darted outside out of poor awkwardness. There were a group of furs, all protesting about something. A slim and slender white arctic fox was leading it, shouting loudly into a bright blue loudspeaker. If anything, he could at least admire him from afar.

"Alright, we've got this." Nick continued, now with the divided attention of Fred whose ears perked up subconsciously. He tried reassuring himself by repeating it in his head.

"Hey," Judy started to say. "*We’re* fine, aren't we?" 

"Yeah, of course. Are we not?" He asked, panicking.

"No, no of course not. Just, with everything going on-"

"Light's green." Fred interrupted, tapping on Nick's headrest. 

"Right, right." 

\----

The jail looked exactly like how one would look like in a high budget movie. Two wolves guarded the main entrance, standing upright with zest. A skunk lazed around inside the small, air conditioned office where the gate controls were.

"Judy, Nick." The skunk acknowledged lazily as they approached the gate. "Who's this?" He asked, pointing at Fred.

"Detective." Fred said nonchalantly, lifting up his badge.

"Business?" 

"We want to talk to Bellweather." The bunny relied almost instantaneously. 

\----

Judy detested the way she felt whenever the thought of the bovidae invaded the privacy of her mine. Nick always joked that it was like a palace in there, where she had many doors and many rooms in which she could recall memories from. She also missed her parents daily, however, she was unsure how they would react if she ever brought Nick home. She didn't want to start thinking about that now. 

She sighed as she let her mind race a little longer, waiting for Fred to ask the concierge lady, a panther, about which room Bellweather was being kept in.

It was only moments later when she realised that they were already done asking and waiting for her. 

"You alright?" Fred asked, genuinely concerned but his rough voice betraying that fact. 

"I'm fine. Let's go." 

\----

"Alright," Fred started to say as he kneeled down to meet Judy in the eyes. "I'm gonna wire you up. I want to hear exactly what she's saying in there." He motioned for the nervous bunny to take the mini mic from his paws. It was designed specifically for her. They never had a rabbit police officer before. 

"Why don't we just use the investigation room?" Judy asked.

"Because we want her to feel safe. Like she can say whatever she wants to say to you. We need to trick her into divulging whatever info she knows about the case and even if she doesn't have anything to do with it, get her to talk. We need all the info we can get." The predator instructed.

"Just press the button when you need us. You'll look like a monkey beating your chest, but you'll be safe." Nick joked.

Nodding, Judy made her way into the room.

\----

It was a desolated room, comprised of only two colours. The first: white. It was a funny thing indeed that the colour was associated to purity or innocence. That was completely untrue when it came to this devious sheep. The second: orange. This, Judy particularly favoured. Seeing her restricted to being only in this room made her more than joyful. Unfortunately, having her own personal toilet might have been seen as a privilege. Still, having being moved from a normal prison to one of maximum security after the lobbying of the Predator-Prey Friends movement must be seen as a good thing. 

"Judy?" The sheep asked, as innocently as she could but the bunny's ears could pick up the hint of contempt a mile away. 

"I need to ask you a few things." She said, trying to remain non-committed. 

"Is that how you're going to treat an old friend, Judy?" There it was again. Judy always liked it when Nick said her name but when it came to this deceitful person sitting in front of her, she could do without the constant naming. 

"You know we've never been truly friends, Bellweather." 

"Ah, how I hate that name." Bellweather spat. "It makes me sound all fluffy and-" 

"Cute?" Judy said, degradingly.

Bellweather gave her a searing, incandescent look. "Say what you want to say." 

"Do you know anything about the recent predator deaths?" Judy asked, finally.

"No, I don't think I have any recollection of deaths. I'm kept in a room with nothing in here except for a potty so I'd think you'll understand." She said in her horribly, condescending raspy voice. 

"I believe you know more than what you're telling me." She said, rubbing her nose. Other thoughts invaded her own. 

"*Ask her about Randy Ursa*." Fred's voice came out loud and clear in her ears. Judy had to remind herself not to touch the earpiece. 

"What about the bear?" Judy asked, pretending not to have gotten the idea from someone else. 

"I don't believe he's part of the death circus now, is he?" 

Judy smiled slyly. She had her.

"So you do know who he is?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bellweather said, trying to cover up.

"He said he knows you're involved." Judy lied. "A little birdie tipped him off about you. So stop kidding yourself." 

"Alright! I don't need anymore maximum security than this already. I even have to ask permission to use the toilet." The sheep said exasperatedly. "But I'm not going to talk until I have a lawyer in here. And besides, no one cares enough about Ursa to take him seriously." 

Judy reminded herself of Nick for just a moment. "I didn't mention any names."

Bellweather choked on her own saliva. 

"It's what they call a hustle, honey." She said condescendingly. Reaching into her front pocket of her uniform, she produced her favourite pen. A recording replayed itself.

"I hate that thing."

"So, talk. Or do you still want that lawyer?"

"Great job, Hopps." Fred's voice complimented her. 

\----

Judy burst through the doors. "She's Mr. Stripes. That's her pseudonym. She goes through a liaison who brings her food everyday. It's been her plan all along." Not waiting to stop and take a breath, she turned to Nick. "Nick, we have to go. Go grab your car." 

"Bunny?" Nick asked, worriedly. 

"Please just go. I'll explain along the way." 

"Alright, stay right here." Fred waited for Nick to leave before he asked her.

"Hopps, what's going on? You ain't making any sense." He eyed her, and the door.

"She's after my parents."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake contemplates leaving the force for good.

Jake was certain that if the mammals around the world still had their natural animalistic instincts, he would've been howling at the moon. 

He was disgusted with the way Chief Bogo handled the case and honestly, he was now more than certain that he did the right thing. Well, at least that's what he tried telling himself as he watched television, obviously depressed. 

The job was a tough one, being a homicide detective was never meant to be an easy job but the wolf loved every minute and every moment of it. From the pathetic excuse of a desk job to the exciting, scintillating moments when he was on the field, working the crime scene. And now, he was his father. A sad excuse for a person, doing nothing but complaining about why and how he was fired than trying to find another job. 

At least, in this case, he had Sarah. He could hear her cooking in the kitchen, the air tickling his nose with an assortment of different smells. He was more than thankful that he had her, and he was more than happy that he decided to tie the knot with her a year ago. It then occurred to Jake, that perhaps he should invite Fred for dinner. If not as colleagues, than better yet as friends. He knew Fred had no one else to go to after hours. It explained why Fred mostly slept in the break room and only returned when he hated the smell of his own breath.

He averted his eyes to the stack of magazines on the coffee table. On top, sat idly a pen and paper. Sarah always recommended putting thoughts to paper whenever he felt down and most of the time, he did. He didn't feel like writing anything down today. Perhaps, letting his thought summer and boil in his head would do him better for once. 

Next to him, was the T.V remote. However, reality shows with celebrities wasn't going to cut it at the moment. He was never much one for fake, staged programmes. Fred was a sucker for them however. Perhaps, it was because he made fun of them more than actually watching them. 

If anything, he was proud of who he became. Who he grew into as a person. He didn't have the prettiest of childhoods either, albeit, not as bad of a one like Fred. He had a non committed mother who left his father for another, a leopard if he could recall properly. His father was never the same. And it pained him to visit good ole' dad every time Christmas came around. He was nothing more but a shell of a man.

With Sarah, and perhaps a friend in Tigris; with newfound friends in Wilde and Hopps, it shouldn't be so terrible to start anew. A life away from the deep dark, convoluted world of police work and detective work. Maybe he could start that auto mechanic store he always wanted as a child.

"Jake, could you come here for a second?" His ears perked up from the sweet voice that flowed from the kitchen like honey. Getting up, he decided that he could at least, leave the thoughts that plagued him for another time.

The kitchen was in a mess. A clutter of pots and pans were dumped into the sink. There were dark, sugary stains on the table with a lone, slightly worn out rolling pin resting right next to it. Sarah was baking. She only baked when she was worried about something, or when she was nervous. 

"Is everything alright, honey?" Jake asked, worry apparent in his voice. 

"I'm fine. Just doing some baking." She asserted, taking out a tray from the oven. 

"You don't bake unless there's something on your mind." 

"About that case. And your job?" Sarah asked in a half-question. She placed the tray down onto the table, directly onto the sugar stain. Jake winced at that. Taking off the mittens from her paws, she took in a deep breath of air, and placed both paws on his shoulder. 

"Fred called and told me about it." 

Jake let out a mouthful of air out of exasperation. He knew his friend cared about him, but he didn't want to talk about it until he was ready.

"Yeah, I felt really strongly about it." The wolf confessed. He noticed that Sarah's paws were still on his shoulders and, without thinking, started to stroke the top part of her paw where her silver fur were with a carefully drawn claw.

"Chief Bogo?" She asked, knowing fully well that it was indeed the bull who had made this decision.

"I get that he wants to avoid another crisis, I do. But, the way he's going about it is entirely wrong." Jake stated, in a matter-of-fact way. 

"So, the badge and the gun?" 

"Conflict of interest. He wanted it one way and I didn't." 

"Here," Sarah let go of his shoulders and opened the drawer for a plastic container. She slid all the cupcakes she had baked into it. "Give this to your friends." 

"Tigris is probably busy at the precinct." 

"No, they're waiting outside. Fred called, and he said he was on to something with that bunny cop. What's her name again?" 

"Hopps?" Jake asked confused. 

"Yes, that's the one. He didn't sign the forms. They need your help with something. So, are you going to keep them waiting?" 

Sometimes, he could just kiss her for how understanding she could be. And he did.

\----

"Wolfire, welcome back." Fred acknowledged his partner as he entered the police car. He noticed how panicky Judy looked. More so than usual. Nick was trying to calm her down, making her write something down with that carrot pen of hers. 

"What's going on? Has the case been reopened?" Jake asked, still confused. "Oh and Sarah baked these." 

"That's for me. I asked when I called." He continued with a mouthful. "Nobody bakes these like Sarah does." 

Jake shook his head. "Someone fill me in, please."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy tells Jake what transpired in the prison. 
> 
> Fred senses something amiss between Judy and Nick.

There was tension in the air. It was tinged with awkwardness and it wasn't coming from the tiger, stuffing his face with sugary sweets. No, it was from the two infamous police officers seated in front of them. There was something going on, and it wasn't something professional either. It wasn't entirely uncommon to hear of an interspecies relationship. Jake had a friend or two. One came to mind; a male tiger and a female panther. High school sweethearts like you'd ever see one.

But an interspecies, predator-prey relationship? Now, that was unheard of. The consequences ran in sequence in his mind, racing by like the speed Nick was currently driving at. They could lose their job; they could lose their colleagues' respect. Heck, they could even lose each other if they let the secret consume them, or, in a worst case scenario, let their relationship jeopardise their integrity 

"Let me get this straight," Jake began to say to break the tension and in disbelief. He was oblivious to the fact that Nick was swallowing as hard as he could to calm the knot that had formed in his throat, his paw entirely stiff on the steering wheel. Or the fact that Judy was nervously looking out of the window. He was, of course paying full attention to his partner, sitting next to him and eating the sweetened desserts that his wife had bake, voraciously. 

"You went to a maximum security prison -alone." He said, eyeing the tiger who was now on to his third cupcake. "Not only that, you sent Hopps in alone, and you disabled the wire?" He finished.

"She found out I was using one. I saw it as the only way I could find out-" Judy tried to defend herself. She caught herself midway, letting Jake cut in. 

Jake finished the bunny's sentence for her. "Who was after your parents, right. And they're framing who now?" He asked, unsure of the name she had mentioned earlier in a hurried breath. 

"Gideon, the fox who delivers them pies." She stated, closing her eyes and then opening them again in a forced manner. As though trying very hard to think. To get the gears moving in her head again, before something terrible happened.

"And this Gideon; he was your grade-school bully?" 

"Yes, but he's changed. He's nice now. He said he was a jerk, I know something about being a jerk. We put it behind us and now -and now Bellweather is going to use that to her advantage." Judy said, not stopping for a second. The member of the same species mentioned in the car made a double take. 

Fred noticed that again. A hint of jealousy, hidden behind a thin veil of concern and contempt. He didn't like the way Judy talked about her childhood bully-now-friend. He scoffed at the thought, choking on a piece of cupcake in the process.

"Tigris, chew." Jake said without thinking. He was used to it. The tiger always ate like it was his last day on Earth.

"Did you find out who Mr. Stripes was?" The wolf continued questioning. The inquiry was sound. Up until now, there was no mention of the identity of this 'Mr. Stripes'. He ignored Fred, who was now pointing frantically at the tissue box Judy had placed on in the glove box just prior to picking Jake up. 

"It was a pseudonym. It was always Bellweather. It's always been her pulling the strings." Judy passed the tissue box to a wheezing Fred. He nodded his head in thanks and proceeded to pull out a needless amount of tissues to cough into.

"Then who's the perp carrying out the murders for her?"

"A Gary Woodentop. Stag, and has a personal vendetta against predators. His family was killed in a car crash. The driver was, ironically, a fox." She replied, handing him a file in the process. "We went back to the station and pulled up Woodentop's file." 

"Yeah, and she ain't lyin' when she said he had a vendetta against our kind." Fred said, licking the frosting off his paw. "Take a look at this," a claw caught Jake's attention, tapping at the crimes and felony section. "Two accounts of assault again a fellow worker in a factory. Racial slurs were made. Another, a rowdy protest against predators having the right to join prey majority tertiary education institutes." 

"Probable cause and motive. Nice work, Hopps." Jake praised, nodding his head towards the bunny. "Tigris, you alright?"

"Peachy." Fred raised his right paw, waving at Jake. It was his signal to continue clarifying things. The wolf made a mental note to count how many times Fred choked on food in a single week. 

"And he's after my parents next. He's going to frame Gideon. He's the easiest target. And Gideon would never do such a thing." Nick's eyes widened. Not in agreement, but in a very one sided disagreement. 

"That's plenty coming from someone who clawed your face before." Nick replied, sarcastically. The jealousy was now definitely apparent in his voice. His voice quavered as delivered the line. 

"We were kids, Nick. We were young and dumb. *He* was young and dumb. He's a sweetheart now." Judy winced at the word. She could never bring herself to admitting that Nick and her were closer than just friends. They had discussed it before. Even acknowledged at one point, that they were a couple. But, it seemed wrong now. Why was it so easy to call Gideon 'sweetheart', and not Nick?

"You seem to know a lot about that." 

"We've been talking on the phone! He helps me keep an eye out on mom and dad for me. Nick-" 

"Enough!" Jake took command of the situation. "You can settle whatever petty differences you have *after* we handle the situation. Nick, drive. Judy, calm down." He glimpsed at Fred, who promptly rolled his eyes. 

"It's about an hour's drive to my barn house in Bunnyburrow from here in Zootopia." Judy said after a moment's silence.

"We'll get there in time." Jake reassured her.

"Nick, floor it." Fred said, tapping his headrest.

"You've got it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew breaks into the barn house to save Judy's parents only to discover something sinister.

The usually sprawling, commotion filled town of Bunnyburrow was nothing more but a deadly silence. A deafening one, as Judy would later recall to Nick, as her simple town was never known to be quiet. 

There was a twitch to her step instead of the commonplace bounce that the fox was so used to seeing. She was nervous -anxious, and he wished he could soothe the bunny's scared mind but he knew that nothing would work at the moment. Not until her parents were safe and sound, and Gary Woodentop put behind bars. 

"Judy?" Nick asked, cautiously. Afraid of overstepping any bounds. He should've known better of course, that with them, there was nothing that could keep them apart.

"I'm fine. Let's just get this done." She replied, hastily.

"Alright, if Bellweather's Intel was correct, Woodentop should be holed up in your old barn house." Jake said as they crossed the desolated marketplace. 

Judy eyed the carrot stall where the oblong and orange vegetables were always piled up onto the wooden desk Mr Karot stole from the school that one summer day. She stood dead in her tracks when she saw Gideon's pastry van, parked right in front of the same spot Judy first confronted him many years ago during the farm fair. The same spot that cemented her resolve to be a police officer.

"Spot something, Hopps?" The tiger asked, turning around to meet her in the eyes.

Judy looked over yonder, where a red roofed barn house with dilapidated, rotting doors, and fresh carrots were awaiting her. "Let's just go." 

\-----

"Alright, we need a game plan." Fred said, crouching down, his broad knee settled on the ground in a weird position. Jake did the same, but he was writing in his notebook. The velvet, leather bound one that Fred got him for his birthday a year ago. Of course, it wasn't made from real leather. It was a synthetic one, seeing how leather was banned ever since the bull congressman brought out how inhumane it was over centuries of years ago. 

Nick slowly pushed himself over the haystack they were hiding behind. He could see the two bunnies, their paws tied to each other and the chairs they were seated on faced back to back. There wasn't much lighting except for a dim lightbulb illuminating the part of the barn house they were currently being held hostage in. He could make out, just faintly, the sight of a stag with an antler missing, holding out what seems to be a pistol right in their faces. 

He had to stop Judy from bursting through the front doors. 

"Are you mad?" Nick said, as he straddled the bunny back. "Judy!" 

"He's pointing a gun at them, Nick!" She shouted, albeit not loud enough for the stag to hear them. 

"And just bouncing in is suicide." 

"Wilde's right. We need a course of action before we enter. Or not, your parents are as good as dead." The wolf stated with authority. 

"I ain't guessing if I said you had a plan?" Fred said as he tried to peer down at the notebook.

"We can't see them, but a prey like Woodentop who's been through so much, he isn't going to be playing around." Jake started to say. "He's going to have armed guards around. But they aren't in plain sight. You heard what Bellweather said, this is her revenge. She wants another prey-predator crisis. The best way to do that is to have a fail-proof plan. And I'm guessing Woodentop is just as much as a pawn in this as the perpetrator." 

"So, what you're saying is...?" Nick said, his head cocked to one side in confusion.

"What I'm saying is, that we should split up into two groups. Two to scope out the house and check for armed guards, and the other two to save the Hopps." 

"I'm saving my parents." Judy said, without hesitation.

"I'll go with her. Make sure she doesn't get into no trouble." Fred told him. Judy simply nodded. 

"We're prioritising the Hopps here. Don't do nothing stupid, alright?" The tiger instructed.

 

\-----

The wolf was certainly right. Two armed guards were stationed at the front door, their prey eyes scanning the wooden fences and hot air for anyone who would get in their way. There was a ferocity in their eyes, the ones that Jake had only seen in those of predators. They were wronged eyes. He cursed the fool who gave them this horrible, personal vendetta.

Nick had his paw on his pistol, the holster still brand new and fresh. He didn't have to use his gun much, and he was grateful for that. However, if using it today meant he could ease Judy’s pain, then he would gladly do it.

"Not so fast." Jake said as he placed his paw quickly onto Nick to stop him from taking his weapon out. "We can do this without the weapons. We don't want to alert Woodentop to our whereabouts." 

"Right," Nick said, dropping his paw. "So, what's the plan then?" 

"We take them out silently, together." 

With a well executed signal from Jake's paws, their attack was coordinated and swift. Nick had never seen a wolf so agile, that he could leap over the cover they were hiding behind, right into a roll, and strike at the poor, Zebra's legs and smashing right into his muzzle with a powerful hook. Nick had to take twice as long but he got the job done.

"Good," Jake said as he got up. Don't think anyone heard us." 

"You weren't part of some circus were you?" Nick asked sarcastically as he picked himself up. A beeping sound caught them by surprise. "That doesn't sound good." 

Jake dived for the red light that was being emitted from the Zebra's front pocket. "A sort of homing beacon. Military grade for sure. We've got to get a move on." 

"Wait," Nick said as he faintly gasped. "You're not telling me what I think you're telling me, are you?" 

"We either have corrupted military personnel or corrupted police officers. And I don't want to be the one who says this but-" 

"It's mean we've been compromised." Which was when, the fox eyes opened widely in panic. "Judy!" 

The fox was off without another word.

\-----

"Hopps, you've gotta calm yourself down." Fred said as he rammed the deer's head into the brick wall. Jake was right when he said there would be many guards around. There were plenty from where they were coming from. 

"I know. But the sooner we get my parents out of here, the safer I will feel." Judy replied.

"I think we're clear." Fred said as they entered the living room. 

"Mom, dad?" Judy whispered as she ushered for a knife from Fred. He clicked his tongue unfavourably at the thought of others thinking he just happened to carry around a knife wherever he went. With very little to no effort, the tiger unsheathed a claw and sliced the ropes binding The Hopps paws together.

"Judy? What are you doing here?" Her ever bubbly dad, now deadpanned and bruised on all over his face, asked his daughter.

"We're here to get you out." The rope fell to the ground with a faint plop. 

"No, Judy you don't understand!" Her mother insisted as Fred motioned for them to exit the house as soon as possible. "He's using us to get to you!" 

"I don't understand, Bellweather wanted another predator-prey crisis. Why would she want-" Judy was interrupted mid-sentence. 

"They want to make it seem as though Gideon killed us all, so that they'd think predators as dangerous again!" Her father finished her mother's sentence for her. 

"And thank you for making my job easier." An unknown voice said, making Judy look up in surprise. 

It was a stag, with a scar running down the entire length of the right side of his face. His eye was slightly closed shut, as though it was bruised from consistent torture. His right antler was also missing, a tiny stub was all that was remaining. In right paw, was a pistol point directly at his left. In his left paw, was Gideon. 

"Gideon!" Judy yelled, without thinking.

"Judy, don't worry about me. J-just leave." Gideon said, slightly stuttering. Judy noticed how he developed that stutter when she begun to talk to him again after all those years of animosity towards him. He turned out to be a humble, sweet fox. A very wild mannered one and she hated now how he was being used again her.

"Why are you doing this?" Judy cried out. 

Fred was eyeing the front door. It was directly behind the stag. If he could just distract him, Judy could escape with her parents and Gideon.

"Why? You don't think revenge is good enough for an answer? That stupid, insipid fox ran my car off the road. Don't you think it's penance enough that I have to deal with their deaths when that fox got to carry out his life like nothing ever happened?" He spat, eyeing Gideon who was beside him.

"Gideon isn't the fox that killed your family. He's just an innocent fox that didn't do anything!"

"But they're all the same! And if you can't see that, then you're just as blind as Bellweather said you were." He told her.

This was a bad time as any to be caught in. Nick chose an even worse time to walk into it. A gunshot was all that rang out throughout the house. A loud bang, that ruptured the air and disturbed the tense atmosphere around them. 

Nick fell over, his paws clutching his chest as he yelled out in intense pain. Jake was quick to react, turning over the blue couch in front of them and pulling Nick behind it. 

"Nick!" Judy shouted but it was all for nought. Nick was shot, and Gideon was next. 

Fred, without a moment to lose, tackled Woodentop to the ground as they struggled for control. As they did, two more armed guards appeared through the front door. 

With a quick hop and a power kick to their faces, they were out before they could even think about harming Judy, her parents or Gideon. 

"Let's go, now!" She shouted for them to follow her. She hated how she had to ignore the fox reeling in pain behind the couch. He hated how she couldn't help the tiger who was currently losing the power struggle on the ground. But she had to get out.


End file.
